Carla van der Zwaag was the RIXT Poet of the Month in November. You can find the translation of her poem ‘Femicide’ below. Her original Frisian poems are linked here.
Femicide
This night,
ripped open by nightmares,
will end in a crimson sun birth.
This day will never become a day
like any other.
This day will bear tears
like a necklace
of tarnished pearls.
This day will encase the night
like soot
that cannot be scrubbed off.
Even the glitter of the sun
has the colour of jet.
Tomorrow
women will gather with
protest flag and piercing shouts.
Give us
back
the night.
© Carla van der Zwaag
translation: Trevor Scarse